The Meiji Emporer

The first Meiji emperor, Mutsuhito, likely had very little understanding of economics or perhaps even the policies enacted in his name. Nonetheless, his accession marked a turning point in Asian, and global, economic history.

In the film, Sir Vince Cable introduces the Meiji emperor and explains how Japan was transformed from a militarily weak, technologically backward, feudal, agricultural country into one of the select few industrialized countries. The reforms introduced in the Meiji emperor’s name laid the foundations for the highly developed and technologically advanced economy which Japan has become today.

Please comment below which reform(s) you think were most critical to the success of Japan. Which other countries which have emulated Japan’s success?